The River Lethe
by ilGyhs
Summary: I had done it once before—bended the water of the River Lethe to my will. When I'd fallen in, I had prayed to stay dry. And the water didn't touch me, so I didn't forget. But would it still work, now that I was dead? Would I still remember Annabeth?
1. Chapter 1

"Hey… do you feel that?"

We were sitting in the woods, watching the sun go down. Everyone else was at the dining pavilion, but Annabeth and I decided to sneak away for some private time. Chiron had probably noticed our absence by now. Hopefully we wouldn't get in too much trouble.

I looked at Annabeth, wondering why her voice had gotten a lot quieter. "Feel what?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know… something's wrong. I've been sensing it all day. It's making me uncomfortable."

"What, like a monster or something?"

"No, not exactly."

I waited for further explanation, but none came. Annabeth played with some grass blades. Her eyebrows knit together while she concentrated. Her frustrated expression reminded me of the one she gets when she tries to read anything that isn't Ancient Greek.

Then, all of a sudden, she asked, "Percy, what would you do if I died?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

She waited, not meeting my eyes.

"Where did that come from?" I asked.

"Nowhere. I just wanted to know."

I tried to think of something to say, but I couldn't. What would I do if she died? I didn't even want to think about it. Why was she bringing this up?

Annabeth nudged me. "Don't get so worked up. Just tell me. Would you just stay here and move on?"

I studied her for a moment. It was strange that she was asking this. Had something happened? Was she in trouble? I suddenly realized that Annabeth had been acting strange all week. She'd been pretty serious; hardly laughing or smiling. She hadn't been herself.

Annabeth was waiting, so I finally just answered honestly. "No… I think the first thing I'd do is go to the Underworld."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "What would you expect to get out of that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I couldn't just wait here at camp and do nothing about it."

She frowned. "Going to the Underworld wouldn't help. I wouldn't be there anymore because I'm going to try for the Isles of the Blest."

"Annabeth, why are we talking about this? Hey, look at me." She raised her head slightly and her eyes met mine. "Nothing's gonna happen. The war is over and we're safe."

"Yes, Percy, but we're demigods. We're not known for getting happy endings. Most of us don't even make it past twelve. You and I are lucky to be alive."

It was quiet for a minute. I knew she was right, but I didn't want to accept it.

"Are you trying for the Isles?" she finally asked.

"Yeah… I guess."

"Okay then, it's settled. When we die, we'll live two more lives, and then we'll meet there. And we'll live forever."

I drew Annabeth closer to me. "But that's not something we should worry about now, we… still have years. It doesn't matter if we're demigods. And I hope this is the last time we talk about this."

She smirked. "Sometimes I wonder if you're truly the man in this relationship."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're quite the wimp."

"Offended."

She got up and brushed herself off. "Good. That's what I was going for."

"You know I cry myself to sleep every night because of you?" We started walking back to camp.

"Yes, and that satisfies me."

"Well, I guess I'll just go drown now."

"You do that, aqua-man."

"You know, I actually met him once."

Annabeth laughed. "Shut up, Seaweed Brain." She turned towards me and put her arms around my neck. Then she kissed me.

It was something I still wasn't used to, even though it happened all the time. My stomach always felt like it was melting. I don't think she was used to it either, because every time she drew back, her cheeks were pink.

"I really feel like something is about to happen," she said quietly.

I sighed. I almost protested, but I didn't know what to say anymore. Especially since I was starting to get that feeling too, ever since we started this conversation. So I waved it aside, a mistake I didn't realize I'd made until later. "Come on. Let's get back before Dionysus assigns us two weeks of kitchen duty."

Everything just happened as a blur after that. Maybe it didn't really, but that's how I remember it. Because something happened.

We arrived just in time for sing-a-longs at the amphitheater. Chiron gave announcements. Dionysus sent us back to our cabins. Annabeth gave me a long, sad look after our goodnight kiss.

Guess who was found dead the next morning?

* * *

( ̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅ ̲̅]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅ )

Okay so I'm kind of excited for this story! It's kind of short, but tell me what you think! The next chapter will be longer, pinky promyze.  
Those of you that haven't voted, there's a poll on my profile, so go check it out. (: You could also read my three other stories if you want ;) ;) ;)  
There's a huge blue button down there that is so disruptive, it kind of takes the attention away from the story. CLICK IT AND TYPE SOMETHING.


	2. Chapter 2

I stared at the body on the bed for what seemed like hours. She didn't look dead.

_She's not dead_, I thought. _She's asleep._

I had to tell myself that over and over again. If I tried to accept the fact that she was gone, my jaws would clench, my head would start hurting insanely, and I'd start kicking things. Chiron told me I needed to calm down, that this wasn't good for me. That maybe I should leave the infirmary for a while. But I couldn't leave Annabeth.

_She's asleep. She'll wake up in a few minutes._

So I waited for her. I sat down on a chair next to the infirmary. I don't know how long I stayed there, just waiting. Minutes. Hours. Days. Nights. I didn't want to eat or drink anything. At one point, I had a huge urge to go take a shower. When I got up abruptly and walked to the bathroom, Chiron asked where I was going.

"Just going to wash up," I muttered.

I'm surprised he understood me, because I wasn't talking coherently.

Chiron thought I was going in there to kill myself somehow. Maybe drown myself in the toilet or stab myself with something sharp. He told me not to go anywhere alone because I was in shock. People shouldn't be alone when they're in this state. It's dangerous.

So I sat back down next to Annabeth, held her cold hand, and kept waiting.

People came in every once in a while—the Apollo kids, to try and see why she was asleep. The Aphrodite girls came in to wash her hair and scrub the mud off her body. Her siblings came in to say a final goodbye. Malcolm was crying.

I haven't shed any tears yet.

_ It can't be real, _I thought. _She can't be gone._

Finally the Apollo kids got some results. She went into the woods at night got stung four times by bees. Apparently she was very allergic. Everything we'd been through in the past four years, and she dies because she accidentally ran into a stupid beehive.

That's when I finally started accepting it. Annabeth was dead. She was right about being uneasy that night. Why didn't I listen? I should have gone to Chiron! Or I should have at least stayed with her so she wouldn't leave her cabin.

Why did she do that? When you have a bad feeling about something, you don't get up and walk into the woods in the middle of the night! She was supposed to be wise!

"Are you okay?"

That voice. It couldn't be.

I looked up and almost jumped out of my seat. Annabeth… she was breathing. Her grey eyes opened and stared at me blankly. Then she started to sit up. She threw her legs over the bed and raised an eyebrow at me. "You look like death," she said.

My eyeballs were about to fall out of my face. I couldn't speak. Why was Annabeth moving? Why was she talking? She wasn't supposed to be alive.

"Why are you staring at me like that? You're acting like I've come back from the dead." She laughed to herself. "Seaweed Brain."

"Annabeth—you… you're not… you're supposed to be dead!" I stammered.

She met my eyes and something changed right then. She started laughing again. But it wasn't her sweet, ringing laugh that sounded like music. It was a horrible, throaty cackle. She began to stalk towards me.

I backed up. "Annabeth, stop. It's not funny. What's wrong with you? You just died—you're not supposed to be alive."

Suddenly her face started melting. Her fingers changed into claws and her eyes turned red. Her skin cracked. She was morphing into some kind of monster right before my eyes.

"I'm not dead, Percy," she rasped. "You're hallucinating. _You're_ dead."

The whole room began to spin. I started remembering random things, like the time my mom tripped over my shoes in my room, and when I found a comb in the middle of the woods. Little things that didn't make any sense. Then, all of a sudden, I was hovering over my own body. Annabeth was next to me, holding my hand, crying, just as I had been just a minute ago. Except I had been next to _her_ body. Annabeth had been the one that died… and now _I _was dead? What was going on?

Then I began to sink into the ground. For a while, all I could see was darkness around me. Then I emerged into a lobby that was brightly lit and full of people. I knew where I was; I'd been here before. The "DOA Recording Studios." It seemed like forever ago, when I was twelve, traveling with Annabeth and Grover, on my very first quest.

So it was true. I _was_ dead. But how? I didn't remember anything. Oh man, what would Annabeth think? What would she _do_? Would she try to come down to the Underworld, just like I said I would? I hoped she wouldn't... after all, she's not stupid. She even told me that coming to the Underworld wouldn't do anything, it'd just waste time.

I walked up to the security desk, fishing through my pockets for a golden drachma. I found two and I laid them on the desk. I kept my head low, hoping Charon wouldn't recognize me. Of course, it didn't work.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little godling," he chuckled. "How many years has it been?"

"Four," I muttered.

"All grown up aren't we?" He sighed. "Well, I'm afraid I can't let you back in the Underworld, no matter how many drachma you offer me. Lord Hades was very upset with me last time. Although I did get my raise, thanks to you."

I shrugged.

Charon's eyebrow arched. "You smell dead."

"I _am_ dead. Will you just let me through already?"

He laughed. "You really are dead this time? How did it happen?"

"I don't know."

Grinning, he said, "Well, the boat's almost full. Hop on."

* * *

I stood in the Attendant on Duty line for what seemed like forever. I kept thinking about the time Annabeth, Grover, and I were here. It felt so weird. I hadn't known I'd be here again four years later… I wished so badly I could go back.

Cerberus the three-headed Rottweiler greeted me once I came near him. He growled at first, then barked and gave me a huge lick, reminding me of Mrs. O'Leary. I told myself not to worry, that Nico would take care of her. Then I felt terrible. First Daedalus, now me. Mrs. O'Leary would be devastated.

Cerberus nudged me and whined. He wanted another red rubber ball.

"Sorry, boy," I said. "Annabeth's not here today."

Finally it was my turn. I passed Cerberus and walked into a giant pavilion, standing before the judges' bench. I recognized Shakespeare. The other two were just old guys. I never paid any attention in History class.

"Perseus Jackson," the first judge announced. "Hero of Olympus. Most known for defeating Kronos. He retrieved Zeus' lightning bolt and Hades' Helm of Darkness."

"Defeated the Minotaur and the Manticore," the second judge said. "Found Daedalus in the Labyrinth."

"Hades told us in advance to let him achieve Elysium," Shakespeare said. "I can see why."

"Died in his sleep," said the first guy. "Shall it be Elysium, or would you like to try for the Isles of the Blest?"

"I want to go for rebirth," I told them. "But, wait—"

"Granted," Shakespeare replied. "You will be greeted with a Fury shortly. She will guide you to the River Lethe."

"Wait! You said I died in my sleep?"

"That is correct," Judge two told me.

"But how—?"

"We hope that you will live successfully in the next two lives as you have in this life." Shakespeare winked at me.

Suddenly I was being carried by Mrs. Dodds. "Hello, Honey," she purred. "Nice to see you're finally dead." Her sharp talons dug into my camp t-shirt. We were soaring over the Underworld and I could see the River Lethe in the distance.

"Do _you_ know how I died?"

She hissed, but it kind of sounded like a sigh. "Lord Hades and your father got into an argument. He has forbidden me to talk of it, but you're dead. I wonder who killed you?"

"_Hades_ killed me?"

Mrs. Dodds cackled. "He claims it wasn't him, but he _was_ angry at your father."

I balled my fists. I was about to let loose a string of angry words, but we were getting closer and closer to the River Lethe. I was getting an idea.

I'd been here before. With Nico and Thalia, when we were trying to find Hades' sword. I remembered that we had to cross the river and I used my powers to prevent us from being touched by the water. After all, if you touch the water, you lose your memory. I lifted a whole section of the river while Thalia and Nico crossed. When I was crossing, I lost control… but I used my powers to stay dry. And the water didn't touch me.

Could I still do that now? Poseidon is probably pretty angry at Hades. Maybe he'll it.

So I stayed put and didn't ask any more questions while Mrs. Dodds carried me. We reached the water and she put me down. She was grinning. "Hop in, Honey."

So I closed my eyes and prayed to Poseidon this would work. _Stay dry, stay dry, stay dry,_ I thought.

And then I jumped.

* * *

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HOLY JEEZ, I got 20 reviews on the first chapter! When I saw that, I was like, "…I am not alive right now."  
Thank you sosoossooso much! I'm so glad you liked this story :D

At first, I was just going to settle with Annabeth dying. And then all of you with your creative goodness gave me a better idea, so I was like OMG I'm gonna kill Percy! (: It'll get better, I promise!

So once again, thank youuu, and keep up the feedback! Be sure to check out my other stories. I just updated Olympus Weekly!

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Before I get started, let me just introduce you to my current life.

Money-wise, this life was a lot better than my last one. My dad's a mechanical engineer and my mom is a physical therapist. We live in Minnesota. We have a pretty big house and a few nice cars. Because my family has money, I've earned myself a lot of shallow friends.

We have two dogs—one for me, and one for my little sister, Kaden. My sister got a Pomeranian and named her Poochie.

I was four when I got my black Mastiff. I named her Mrs. O'Leary. To this day, I find that pretty weird.

See, when I was four, I didn't remember my old life. I would occasionally dream of people that I didn't recognize, and I'd get flashes of little unimportant things, but nothing big. I didn't actually start remembering things until I was about seven.

Even though using my powers to stay dry worked, and the Lethe didn't erase my memory, I don't remember the details of when I was born for the second time. I don't remember my first or second birthday. I don't remember when my great grandma died. And, when I was little, I didn't remember my old life, either, because my brain wasn't entirely developed yet.

So when I was four, it was a complete subconscious choice to pick the only black Mastiff puppy at the pet adoption center and name her Mrs. O'Leary.

My name is Daniel in this life. My mom tells me that when I was six, I started telling people that my name was Percy. She also told me that I made friends with a blond girl and nicknamed her Wise Girl, even though she was pretty dumb. I didn't know it, but in my subconscious, I was still living my previous life.

When I was twelve, I finally remembered everything. I remembered Camp Half-Blood, the gods, the war, Grover, Poseidon, my mom, Paul Blowfish, and Annabeth. I remembered that very last conversation I had with her before I died.  
So I started asking my parents to take me to New York. I had to see her again. I didn't know if she had moved on, or found someone else, or if she was even alive right now. It had only been fourteen years.

Then I remembered what seemed like forever ago, when my old centaur friend Chiron told me that most demigods die before they reach the age of twenty.

Annabeth would be thirty right now.

But I didn't let that discourage me. I had to try, right?

So I begged my parents to take me to Manhattan pretty much every day. They kept asking me why I wanted to go so badly, but I never really came up with a convincing answer. After all, I couldn't tell them the truth.

It got to the point where my sister Kaden started begging with me. She wanted to go because she thought she'd see a lot of famous people. She was only eight, but it was nice to have her on my side anyway.

* * *

Introduction to my second life—over.

Today was the last day of school and I was sitting at home watching Phineas and Ferb. Unfortunately I had ADD in this life, so instead of actually watching the show, I kept getting distracted by little details. Phineas's head was shaped like a Dorito. Wouldn't that hurt your skull or something? And how come that Candace girl had such a long neck? It didn't look like it offered very much support. Shouldn't her head be falling over?

The front door unlocked and my dad walked in to hang up his keys, followed by a very excited mother.

"Hi Daniel!" my mom gushed. "How was your last day of school?"

"Uh, it was good. Full of tests. And tears. At the last minute, kids started spraying water bottles at the teachers and…" I trailed off because it didn't look like my parents were listening.

My sister Kaden started jumping up and down and my mom was clapping happily.

I studied them. "Why is everyone so excited?"

"Mom and Dad have a surprise for you!" Kaden screamed.

My dad held a folder that he had been hiding behind his back and handed it to me. I opened it slowly and it took me a minute to register what was going on.

"Are these plane tickets?" I asked.

Kaden squealed. "NEW YORK, DANIEL! WE'RE GOING TO NEW YORK! I might see Selena Gomez!"

I studied the tickets for a second. It didn't seem real. I was going back to my old life, to Sally and Paul, to Camp Half-Blood, to Annabeth.

So after a few minutes of taking this in, I pretty much hugged my parents and didn't let go for the rest of the day.

* * *

The same evening we arrived at the Mark, a five star luxury hotel, I left.

I know, I'm a terrible son. My parents give me what I've wanted my entire life and I ditch them. I knew they'd be super worried, but I couldn't wait one second. I couldn't sit still knowing I was just a few miles away from my old life. So as soon as my parents and Kaden left for the hotel pool, I wrote a quick note that told them not to worry about me, that I'd be back. I taped it to the door and, a little guiltily, I left.

I didn't _only_ come to New York so I could go to Camp Half-Blood to start my search for Annabeth. The reason I didn't ask my parents to take me to Long Island, New York (where camp is), and instead begged them to take me to Manhattan, is because my previous mom is here. I mean, I love my current mom and everything, but I don't think any mother could ever compare to Sally Jackson—Blofis, whatever. I've missed her for as long as I can remember, and I haven't seen her in fourteen years. But I've always considered her my "real" mom.

So when I left the hotel, I headed straight to her apartment.

Of course, I remembered everything about Manhattan. The streets, the buildings, the restaurants and apartments. I even recognized some of the shop owners and taxi drivers. Instead of going straight to meet my mom, I decided to make a quick stop at the candy store where my mom used to work.

_Ding_. "Hi, how may I help you?"

I looked up at the cashier. She looked kind of familiar, and after a few seconds of studying her, I realized that my mom had worked with her a super long time ago. It had been, what, seventeen years? And she was still here.

"Hey," I said. "Can I have three pieces of every blue candy you have?"

She smiled at me. "Sure."

After she was done, she set the bag on the counter. "That'll be eighteen fourty-three." I gave her a twenty and waited for her to give me the change, but she just kind of stood there.

"Is… something wrong?" I asked.

"What? Oh, nothing. Sorry, sir." She started cashing in the twenty. "You just reminded me of a different boy that used to come here many years ago. He and his mother would come by the store and eat all the blue candy they could find." She kind of smiled as she handed me my change. "He was a good kid. Unfortunately, he stopped coming by a long time ago. I haven't seen him in a long time."

"Oh." I took my change. "Yeah, I… I knew him. Percy Jackson?"

She nodded. "That was him. Good kid."

"Thanks," I said. "Uh… for the candy."

She smiled kindly. "Absolutely. Come by anytime."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, I was standing at the front door of Sally Blofis' apartment, feeling so nervous and kind of queasy. I didn't think I was ready—I had no idea what I was going to say.

_Hey, mom…_ No, not mom. That would probably scare her. _Hey...woman... I just wanted to tell you that I'm your son._ _I died and came back in a different body, except I still remember my old life and so I just wanted to say hey. Can we order some pizza?_

Jeez, what the heck was I going to say?

I pulled out the bag of blue candies and stared at it. I ate a few as I thought about my situation. Then I started pacing, because I was getting nervous. I couldn't just barge in to her apartment, claiming to be her son. That would be so weird. Paul would call the cops.

While I was pacing, I tripped over nothing in particular and ended up making a lot of noise. I cursed under my breath and stood up quickly, hoping no one had heard. I was contemplating on whether or not to just give up and run, but before I could, the door creaked open.

I looked up to find Paul standing there. He looked the same, except his face was a bit wrinkled and he'd grown a lot more silver hairs. He also didn't have the same brightness in his eyes as he did when I saw him last. His shoulders were hunched over slightly and he looked kind of gloomy.

"Hello. May I help you?" he asked, polite as ever.

"Uh, hey," I stammered. "Um… I'm Percy Jackson."

I cursed in my head. I spent all that time planning how I was going to do this, and I just got nervous and blurted out exactly what I hadn't wanted to say. Why was I so stupid?

My heart was beating fast. Paul stared at me, and I waited for him to say something. I heard a faint, familiar voice come from inside, and Paul said, "No, honey, it's nobody. Just a kid trying to sell me some cookies."

I thought that was a pretty lame excuse, and I was also slightly offended. Suddenly, Paul shut the door behind him and walked over to me, staring me down like I'd just beat up his grandmother.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" he spat. "How dare you come to this apartment and throw Percy's name around like it's nothing?"

"No, no, let me explain—" I began.

"My wife has finally started moving on from the tragic loss of her son and you come here with all your disrespect and claim you're our _son_? This is the most despicable joke anyone's ever come up with. I mean, do you know how hard it was for my wife to deal with this…"

He kept rambling while I racked my brains for something to convince him.

"Stop, stop! Please, just listen." Paul's face was beet red and a vein was bulging on his forehead. He looked like he was about to punch something, so I decided to hurry. "You're Paul Blofis. My mom is Sally Jackson. I'm—or, I _was_—a son of Poseidon. I was a half-blood. My friends were Grover, Tyson, Nico, Rachel… uh… I had a girlfriend—Annabeth Chase… I fought in the war against Kronos…"

While I was talking, my mom—my real mom—opened the door and came up behind Paul. She stood there, her face colorless. She stared at me as I pretty much retold my whole life. I know I said earlier that it looked like the old brightness in Paul's eyes had faded, but that's nothing compared to what my mom looked like. Before, when you looked at her, she was always glowing with warmth and happiness, no matter how worried she was bout me. She was always smiling, always looking at the world with a pair of rose colored glasses. Now, as I took her in, she looked so…lifeless.

When I was done, I looked at them carefully. It was silent for a few minutes—none of us said anything. I really wanted to go up to my mom and hug her forever, but I didn't know if that was the right thing to do at the moment.

"Percy?" Tears were running down my mom's cheeks. "It's… really you?"

I nodded. "It's me, mom. I'm back, just in a different body."

She walked towards me and hugged me so tight I could barely breathe. "Oh, Percy, I was so worried! When Chiron called and told me what happened, I couldn't believe it. That you… died… in your sleep? I didn't understand. I was in shock for the longest time—and then I a few years later I got a visit from Poseidon and—"

"Poseidon?"

She nodded. "He… warned me. He said something about the gods having some kind of argument. He couldn't tell me much, but he said that I'd see you again."

"I didn't believe it," Paul said. "Your mother waited for you for years, and I kept telling her it wasn't true. She lost hope a while ago and she was barely starting to get over your death and then…"

"I arrived," I finished. "That's why you were so angry at me earlier?"

Paul nodded. "I apologize, Percy. We missed you."

"Yeah, I missed you too," I said, my voice cracking.

"Come inside," my mom said. "I was just making cookies. _Blue_ cookies."

I smiled. "I haven't had those in forever."

The three of us went inside and sat down in the living room. I told my parents what Mrs. Dodds told me about the gods fighting, how it looks like Hades killed me to prove something to Poseidon.

My mom nodded. "It does make sense."

"So I feel like Poseidon let me keep my powers a little longer so that I could fight the River Lethe and remember my old life. Which is why I'm here right now."

My mom sighed. "I was so angry at Poseidon. He came by once, and I was so rude… I told him it was his fault you died. That you'd done so much for him and he didn't care to even look after you."

"It's alright, mom," I said. "I'm here now."

She nodded and wiped a tear from her eyes. Paul just sat there, looking miserable.

I sighed. "Mom, I'm really sorry. I wish I could stay, but I have to see—"

"Annabeth." She nodded and smiled sadly. "I understand."

"Have you heard anything from her? Is she still in New York?"

My mom shook her head dejectedly. "I don't know. She used to stop by every now and then to check on us, but I haven't heard from her in a while."

Paul cleared his throat. "She was here this morning. I'm sorry, Sally, I didn't want to tell you. Every time she comes by, you get all depressed, and I hate to see you that way."

I jumped up. "This _morning_?"

Paul nodded. "She said she was spending the next few weeks at camp, and then she was heading to Olympus to work on some sort of project."

* * *

"…Are you sure? I don't think I should be dropping kids off in the middle of nowhere. I might get in trouble or somethin'."

I shook my head. "My family is spending the week, uh… admiring the gorgeous strawberry fields. We have a cabin about a mile away."

The taxi driver looked incredulous. "Okay, kid. Don't get yourself murdered or anything."

"Yeah, okay," I said. I paid him and he drove off, leaving a faint trail of smog and cigars in the air.

I couldn't see the camp, and that depressed me. In my past life, I'd spent so much time wishing I could be a normal kid. Now that I was one-hundred percent human, I was starting to miss being a half-blood.

I remembered Peleus the dragon must still be wrapped around Thalia's tree, so once I reached the top of Half-Blood Hill, I tried to stay as far away as I could from it. I scanned the hilltop and flinched when I saw a whole bunch of cables wrapped around the tree trunk. I thought about turning around and running (Peleus wouldn't hesitate to eat a random human snooping around the camp border), but something caught my eye. A flash of golden hair being illuminated by the sunlight.

"Peleus, no!" the girl commanded. "He's not an enemy."

I stood there, gawking at her. She looked so different, but in a way, still the same. Her hair was a little bit shorter, but still blond and curly. Her eyes carried a kind of sadness and anger that I'd only seen in her a few times, like when she would talk about Luke. She looked tired and defeated, but her expression held a look of determination, like she was just about to charge into battle.

I almost cried. She was so _old_.

And I don't mean that in a bad way, like I've got something against old people or anything. It didn't change the way I felt about her. I was just crushed by all the time that was ripped away from us. If the gods hadn't gotten into that stupid fight, I would be right there next to her right now, helping her pull Peleus off of strange kids on Half-Blood Hill. She and I could be married by now, maybe even with a family.

"You better follow me, kid," she said. "Monsters will be climbing up this hill in no time."

I shook my head. "Uh—no, I'm, uh… duh…"

She raised an eyebrow.

I cleared my throat. "Uh, I'm not a demigod. I'm human."

"Has a satyr already tried to explain this to you? Don't worry, all of us thought that at one point. You better hurry before you become Peleus's dinner." She advanced towards me.

"No… Annabeth, listen—I'm not a demigod in this life. It's me. Percy."

* * *

( ̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅ ̲̅]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅)

OKAY HI.

I'm really sorry I haven't updated in like five months, I know you all hate me, yadda yadda ya, no one wants to hear my apology because I suck. But really, I've been so busy, you have no idea.

My mom even tells me I have no life because I'm always doing homework. Do you know how much that sucks? You know there's no hope when your last resort, your mom, tells you that you have no life.

Anyway. I'm sorry if this chapter sucked. I just had to get all the details/explanations in before I continued with the Percabeth, but there's some at the end of the chapter :D Well, not really that much, but it's something.

So review and stuff! Guys, PM ME! I haven't talked to you all in forever.

Okay cool. I hope it doesn't take me another four years to update, but who knows… high school is crazy sometimes..

**REVIEW :D**


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